Blank forms to print and fill out on your own, with how-to instructions for completing and filing. Use this if the parentage of your child has already been established by court order in the past two years, you want a Washington court to enter a parenting plan or child support court order, and your proposed parenting plan does not change custody. Packet #3610EN
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Blank forms to print and fill out on your own, with how-to instructions for completing and filing. Use this if you are not married to or in a domestic partnership with your child’s other parent, your child’s parentage has already been established by parentage affidavit or acknowledgment, and you both want to ask the court to enter an agreed parenting plan and/or child support court order. Packet #3603EN
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Blank forms to print and fill out on your own, with how-to instructions for completing and filing. Use this if you have a court order giving you custody of your child and the other parent or person claiming the right to legal custody has taken your child away from you. Read our resource The Other Parent has Taken My Child before using this. #3119EN
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Blank forms to print and fill out on your own, with how-to instructions for completing and filing. Do not use this to change a temporary parenting plan or custody order. Use this only if you and the other parent already have a final parenting plan issued by a Washington State Court. Packet #3260EN.
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3942EN - Blank forms to print and fill out on your own, with how-to instructions for completing and filing. Use this if you have a custody order from another state, you have not registered it in Washington, and you need to take some quick action on your custody order here in Washington state, including getting a hearing as soon as you can.
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Blank forms to print and fill out on your own, with how-to instructions for completing and filing. Use this to ask for a court order to take effect immediately, usually with little or no notice to the other party. Packet #3214EN
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Blank forms to print and fill out on your own, with how-to instructions for completing and filing. Use this to ask for temporary orders related to issues including finances, property, maintenance (alimony), safety, child support, parenting plans, and Guardians ad Litem. Packet #3217EN
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Blank forms to print and fill out on your own, with how-to instructions for completing and filing. Use this if you have legal custody of your child, and you wish to move (“relocate”) and take the child with you. Packet #3132EN.
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Blank forms to print and fill out on your own, with how-to instructions for completing and filing. Use this packet if you are: a party in one of these: a.) divorce or petition to end domestic partnership OR b.) a case to change a parenting/custody order OR c.) a Petition for Parenting Plan, Residential Schedule and/or Child Support, Petition to Decide Parentage, or another type of parentage case. Packet #3209EN
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Blank forms to print and fill out on your own, with how-to instructions for completing and filing. Use this if you are not married to your child’s other parent, your child’s parentage was established by court order more than two years ago, and you want a Washington court to issue a parenting plan. Packet #3602EN
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Some superior courts have family law facilitator programs to help you represent yourself in court and parenting seminars you might have to attend. If you do not get help from a lawyer, you may be able to from a facilitator. #3246EN
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By:

Northwest Justice Project

Serving Papers (2)+

Blank forms to print and fill out on your own, with how-to instructions for completing and filing. When filing your case, make sure a copy of the petition, summons, and other papers you are filing are delivered to the person you are filing the case against "the other party" in a legally correct way. #3201EN
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Change Your Parenting Plan (4)+

Blank forms to print and fill out on your own, with how-to instructions for completing and filing. Use this if you are the petitioner in a family law case AND you decide to change something in your Petition or Proposed Parenting Plan after you have filed and served them AND Respondent does not agree with everything in your petition OR you have not received any response from Respondent. Packet #3212EN
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Blank forms to print and fill out on your own, with how-to instructions for completing and filing. Do not use this to change a temporary parenting plan or custody order. Use this only if you and the other parent already have a final parenting plan issued by a Washington State Court. Packet #3260EN.
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Blank forms to print and fill out on your own, with how-to instructions for completing and filing. Use this to ask for a court order to take effect immediately, usually with little or no notice to the other party. Packet #3214EN
Read More

Blank forms to print and fill out on your own, with how-to instructions for completing and filing. Use this to ask for temporary orders related to issues including finances, property, maintenance (alimony), safety, child support, parenting plans, and Guardians ad Litem. Packet #3217EN
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By:

Northwest Justice Project

Enforce Your Parenting Plan (3)+

Blank forms to print and fill out on your own, with how-to instructions for completing and filing. Use this if you have a court order giving you custody of your child and the other parent or person claiming the right to legal custody has taken your child away from you. Read our resource The Other Parent has Taken My Child before using this. #3119EN
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3942EN - Blank forms to print and fill out on your own, with how-to instructions for completing and filing. Use this if you have a custody order from another state, you have not registered it in Washington, and you need to take some quick action on your custody order here in Washington state, including getting a hearing as soon as you can.
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3940EN - Blank forms to print and fill out on your own, with how-to instructions for completing and filing. Use this to make sure your custody order from another state has full effect in Washington.
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If you were served with parentage, petition for parenting plan or child support papers, you must respond promptly. If you do not respond on time, the other party may automatically win. You may have as few as four business days to file a response. This will help you figure out what to do. #3614EN
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Blank forms to print and fill out on your own, with how-to instructions for completing and filing. Use this packet if you are: a party in one of these: a.) divorce or petition to end domestic partnership OR b.) a case to change a parenting/custody order OR c.) a Petition for Parenting Plan, Residential Schedule and/or Child Support, Petition to Decide Parentage, or another type of parentage case. Packet #3209EN
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Read this if you are a party in a contested family law case (“contested” means you and the other party disagree about issues) AND you want or need to get more information from the other party about their side of the issues.
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In some courts, you must have a settlement conference before having a trial. These instructions are for cases in King County Superior Court. Some of the info may be helpful for cases in other courts. #3911EN
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Blank forms to print and fill out on your own, with how-to instructions for completing and filing. When filing your case, make sure a copy of the petition, summons, and other papers you are filing are delivered to the person you are filing the case against "the other party" in a legally correct way. #3201EN
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Court Forms - listed alphabetically (28)+

Blank forms to print and fill out on your own, with how-to instructions for completing and filing. Use this if you are the petitioner in a family law case AND you decide to change something in your Petition or Proposed Parenting Plan after you have filed and served them AND Respondent does not agree with everything in your petition OR you have not received any response from Respondent. Packet #3212EN
Read More

Blank forms to print and fill out on your own, with how-to instructions for completing and filing. Use this if the parentage of your child has already been established by court order in the past two years, you want a Washington court to enter a parenting plan or child support court order, and your proposed parenting plan does not change custody. Packet #3610EN
Read More

Blank forms to print and fill out on your own, with how-to instructions for completing and filing. Use this if you are not married to or in a domestic partnership with your child’s other parent, your child’s parentage has already been established by parentage affidavit or acknowledgment, and you both want to ask the court to enter an agreed parenting plan and/or child support court order. Packet #3603EN
Read More

Blank forms to print and fill out on your own, with how-to instructions for completing and filing. Use this if you have a court order giving you custody of your child and the other parent or person claiming the right to legal custody has taken your child away from you. Read our resource The Other Parent has Taken My Child before using this. #3119EN
Read More

Blank forms to print and fill out on your own, with how-to instructions for completing and filing. Do not use this to change a temporary parenting plan or custody order. Use this only if you and the other parent already have a final parenting plan issued by a Washington State Court. Packet #3260EN.
Read More

3942EN - Blank forms to print and fill out on your own, with how-to instructions for completing and filing. Use this if you have a custody order from another state, you have not registered it in Washington, and you need to take some quick action on your custody order here in Washington state, including getting a hearing as soon as you can.
Read More

Blank forms to print and fill out on your own, with how-to instructions for completing and filing. Use this to ask for a court order to take effect immediately, usually with little or no notice to the other party. Packet #3214EN
Read More

Blank forms to print and fill out on your own, with how-to instructions for completing and filing. Use this to ask for temporary orders related to issues including finances, property, maintenance (alimony), safety, child support, parenting plans, and Guardians ad Litem. Packet #3217EN
Read More

Blank forms to print and fill out on your own, with how-to instructions for completing and filing. Use this if you have legal custody of your child, and you wish to move (“relocate”) and take the child with you. Packet #3132EN.
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You can use this packet if you have a civil case in Cowlitz County Superior Court AND the respondent/defendant in the case has filed a response to the petition/complaint AND you need to ask the court to schedule your case for a trial. #9950EN
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3940EN - Blank forms to print and fill out on your own, with how-to instructions for completing and filing. Use this to make sure your custody order from another state has full effect in Washington.
Read More

Blank forms to print and fill out on your own, with how-to instructions for completing and filing. Use this packet if you are: a party in one of these: a.) divorce or petition to end domestic partnership OR b.) a case to change a parenting/custody order OR c.) a Petition for Parenting Plan, Residential Schedule and/or Child Support, Petition to Decide Parentage, or another type of parentage case. Packet #3209EN
Read More

Blank forms to print and fill out on your own, with how-to instructions for completing and filing. Use this if you are not married to your child’s other parent, your child’s parentage was established by court order more than two years ago, and you want a Washington court to issue a parenting plan. Packet #3602EN
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If you are going to a hearing or trial where you will be giving evidence AND you need to make sure that a witness shows up or that someone brings documents or other items, you can have the person served with a subpoena issued by the court clerk. Publication #9930EN
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On this website you can download state mandatory court forms for use in Washington State courts covering many legal issues. Most of the forms found on this website are in MS Word or a PDF format.
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Before requiring you to pay GAL fees, the court should consider your ability to pay. If believe you cannot afford this fee, you can file a motion with the court asking that the fee get paid another way. You must prove you are unable to pay this fee. This packet provides instructions and forms to help you make this request to the court. Publication #3117EN
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By:

Northwest Justice Project

Court Information - listed alphabetically (10)+

You can use this packet if you have a civil case in Cowlitz County Superior Court AND the respondent/defendant in the case has filed a response to the petition/complaint AND you need to ask the court to schedule your case for a trial. #9950EN
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Mediation is an informal way to resolve disputes without going to court. The parties attempt to negotiate a mutually agreeable settlement with the help of a neutral mediator. Mediation can be used in many types of disputes. #3226EN
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Understanding and making your way through the court process is not easy and can be quite frustrating, especially for those handling their own legal representation (pro se litigants). There are extensive state and local court rules (see E. 7) and everyone appearing before the Superior Court is expected to follow them. While a one-page handout can never tell you everything you need to know, the following will hopefully be of benefit in clarifying a few of the mysteries of representing yourself.
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When you “file” documents with a court, you give the court documents for processing. Often you also need to give a court “working copies” of the same documents. The judge or commissioner will use these extra copies to prepare for your case. That way the court does not need to make copies itself. #9952EN
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If you are filing or otherwise involved in a court case in Cowlitz County, this will provide you with helpful information that so that you can file papers and appear for court faster and more easily.
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By:

Northwest Justice Project

Legal Research (3)+

Regulations of executive branch agencies are issued by authority of statutes. Like legislation and the Constitution, regulations are a source of primary law in Washington State. The WAC codifies the regulations and arranges them by subject or agency.
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Working with a Lawyer (3)+

Be ready for an appointment with someone who's going to help you with your family law case. That someone might be: an attorney; a family law facilitator; an advocate at your local Domestic Violence shelter; or a CLEAR advocate who is going over forms with you by phone. #3130EN
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